Carpenter's Scrapers

Ernie Miller asked: A while back I bought a bunch of the handled scrapers that have the tear drop shape as well as other shapes (I've seen them referred to as shavehooks, Ed.) They are kinda old and crusty but I am making some spoons for a friend's wedding present and have a use for them now. So how does one go about sharpening them? Also do you burnish them like a regular scraper?

JL: I have had moderate luck with putting the scraper on a flat board (just to help get it off the bench surface) next to a water stone. I just rotate it around until I get the burr off. I then burnish like an ordinary flat scraper. The inside curves are tougher. I have a wooden donut in which I have mounted a round slip. I get the burr off and burnish it very carefully. I usually remove the scraper from the handle. The old one where I can't remove the scraper, I just drilled a hole in the board. The point of the tear-drop I have used to help define grooves. I haven't done enough carving to develop a hand for it, so I always wander with the carving tools, especially the veiners.

Bob Hackett: I'd try it without burnishing a burr first. You might be surprised.

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA: These were mostly considered carpenter's tools, weren't they? Take an appropriate file to them to get them smooth, and, as Bob says, try them without burnishing.

Ernie Miller: Carpenter's tools? Now you tell me! I did just that—flattened and sharpened. I guess I went a step further and used a stone also. It worked okay without the burr—worked best diagonal to the grain. All I needed to do was level out the high spots from the gouge. Two spoons down last night I will do a spatula tonight and a fork. I'm also thinking about making a pair of salad tongs. Thinking I would like to put some sort of spring on them so I don't have to make loops for the handles. What do you all think? Any ideas? She is getting married next weekend so I need to keep on top of this.

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA: Whether they were carpenter's tools or not, if they work for making spoons and other treen, they're treen-maker's tools.